If you can find a way to get free heating, you can potentially slash your utility bill drastically. One way you can achieve this is by going with passive solar heating. It is a process wherein a home is built or upgraded in such a way as to catch and contain as much of the sunlight in the form of heat as possible. The next few paragraphs deal with thermal mass, an integral part of passive solar heating.
Thermal mass could define any object or material that is capable of attracting and storing heat. In this case, we are obviously talking about material that stores the heat inherent in sunlight and disperses it at a later time once the sunlight is no longer hitting it. Thermal mass could be more common than what you expect - in fact, you may have some thermal mass materials at home! Any material exposed to the sun - furniture, floors and such - acts as thermal mass. Unfortunately, it is usually on a pretty small scale.
Passive solar homes, or homes that use solar thermal power, have strategically placed materials acting as thermal mass, and are able to gather and release significant amounts of heat. It may sound like a tall order but it really isn't. The materials include items such as bricks, tile and masonry. You could also opt to use adobe and clay materials as thermal mass.
In all solar thermal powered homes, the thermal mass needs to be located in the interior. You are sure to have windows that attract a lot of sun - try placing some bricks or tiles underneath them. Depending on your heating needs, the amount of thermal mass you use will vary. In colder climates, it should be used in bulk while homes in Arizona need only nominal amounts.
Many people have a hard time figuring out thermal mass in terms of its color. Logically, it would seem to make sense that the materials need to be dark since dark colors absorb more heat. This is not particularly true in passive solar. You could get better results by using the right materials, regardless of the color. The only time color plays a part is if the materials are white, otherwise, any other color will do. This may sound insignificant, but it can be a major benefit if you want to avoid a dark, gloomy interior in your home.
If you are trying to harness the power of the sun for heating purposes, you need to get a good grasp of the thermal products you will use. This should give you a head start.
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